Integrated Detachable Beverage Container Support and Plate Assembly

ABSTRACT

A combination beverage support and plate assembly accommodating a variety of beverage container configurations is a modular, detachable assembly where the plate member and the beverage support member are removably mated using a pressure-fitted mating mechanism. In a first embodiment, the pressure-fitted mating mechanism is a prong and prong receiving mechanism. In a second embodiment, the pressure-fitted mating mechanism is a clip and clip receiving mechanism. Both mating mechanisms are engaged by slideably pushing the plate and beverage support members together and released by slideably pulling the plate and beverage support members apart. The beverage support member is further configured to accommodate stemmed containers and can alternatively serve as a secondary food well for holding small quantities of food relative to a quantity of food capable of being held in the food well, so as to separate different types of food in a single assembly.

BACKGROUND

Food and drink are commonly served at social gatherings where guests eatand drink while standing or moving around and are not seated at a table.Conventional tableware in such settings is problematic because it isdifficult to hold a beverage, plate, and napkin and still have a freehand to shake hands, hold a fork, or receive a business card.

Numerous attempts have been made to redesign tableware to allow thebeverage container, plate and napkin to be held conveniently in one handand provide the user a free hand, but these attempts are clumsy orimpractical and thus have not achieved widespread use. There arecombination cup-plate assemblies designed specifically to holdstemware-style beverage containers directly onto a plate, others focuson securing canned or bottled beverages to the plate, still others tryto accommodate many different styles of beverage container with amultipurpose beverage container holder combined with a plate. Many ofthe combination cup-plate assemblies use the beverage container itselfas a hand grip, with the added inconvenience of requiring two hands toaccess the beverage. Beverage container add-on solutions are largelycomprised of holder attachments to plates that can detach or be lost andmust be removed to allow the stored beverage container and platecomponents to be efficiently stacked and carried. Many cannot be stackedor stored efficiently due to various hand grip and other componentsdesigned to make the assembly easier to use, and thus in solving oneproblem ultimately create a new problem of inefficient storage,cleaning, and the like.

What is needed is an integrated and convenient beverage containersupport and plate assembly that allows one-handed control over abeverage container and a plate of food, modular selection of anappropriately suitable beverage container support depending on the typeof beverage container, and an assembly designed to maximize efficientstacking and storage of all components. There is an additional need formore convenient tableware in both disposable and reusable materials, tosuit a variety of social gatherings and circumstances.

SUMMARY

A combination beverage container support and plate assembly ispresented. The assembly comprises a plate member having a food receivingsurface and a plate rim having an innermost edge and an outermost lip.The outermost lip defines a perimeter of the plate member. A beveragesupport member has a beverage rim with an outermost beverage lipdefining a perimeter of the beverage support member and an annulardepression formed with an opening. The beverage rim held in spaced apartrelationship with the annular depression. A concave surface issubstantially concentric to and extends from the annular depression tothe beverage rim. The concave surfaced is sized and shaped to receive abowl of a stemmed beverage container or a base of a non-stemmed beveragecontainer. A mating mechanism has a first mating element and a secondmating element. The first mating element is formed into the plate memberat its respective mating area and the second mating element is formedinto the beverage support member at its respective mating area. Matingthe first and second mating elements removably joins the plate member tothe beverage support member.

In some embodiments, the combination beverage container support andplate assembly further comprises a base adjoining a lowermost edge ofthe annular depression and an opening formed into the base. A slotextends from the outermost lip to the opening formed in the annulardepression. The slot is sized to receive a stem of the stemmed beveragecontainer and the slot is shaped such that the stem of the stemmedbeverage container inserted into the slot travels at least one of astraight path and a curved path to the opening in the annulardepression.

In some embodiments, the first mating element is comprised of a pair ofparallel, spaced apart walls. Each wall is formed with a mating groove.The pair of walls extends away from the food well of the plate member.The second mating element is comprised of a pair of spaced apart prongsextending outwards from the concave surface of the beverage supportcontainer. Each prong has a protrusion sized and shaped to frictionallyand slideably mate with the mating groove of the first mating element.Pushing the first and second mating elements together mates the pair ofprongs to the pair of the walls by the protrusions mating with themating grooves. Pulling the first and second mating elements apartslideably disconnects the protrusions from the mating groves.

In some embodiments, the innermost edge of the plate member at itsrespective mating area and the outermost lip of the beverage supportmember at its respective mating area are coplanar when the first andsecond mating elements are mated. In some embodiments, the plate rim andthe beverage rim are coplanar. In some embodiments, the second matingelement is positioned opposite the slot. In some embodiments, A flangeis formed at the respective mating area of the plate member and areceiver is formed into the respective mating area of the beveragesupport member, whereby mating the plate assembly with the beveragesupport member mates the flange with said receiver. In some embodiments,the perimeter of the beverage container support and the plate assemblyformed by mating the first mating element with the second mating elementapproximates a rounded square shape or a regular polygon.

In some embodiments, the first mating element is a clip receiver formedas a flange having a pair of opposed ends in the respective mating areaof the plate member. The second mating element is a clip protruding fromthe respective mating area of the beverage support member. The clipfurther comprises an upper clip element and a lower clip element whereinthe upper clip element and the lower clip element are opposed so as toprovide pressure to grasp the clip receiver by frictional force andmating the clip to the clip receiver frictionally sandwiches the clipreceiver between the upper clip element and the lower clip element. Insome variations, the respective mating area of the plate member isfurther formed with a notch sized and shaped to receive the upper clipelement such that when the clip is mated with the clip receiver,immediately adjacent lips of the beverage support member and the platemember are coplanar. In some variations, at least one of the beveragerim and the beverage lip is positioned above a plane of at least one ofthe plate rim and the plate lip when the clip is mated with the clipreceiver. In some variations, the beverage support member is furthercomprised of a stop formed below the beverage rim, whereby mating thebeverage support member to the plate member positions the stopimmediately adjacent the opposed ends of the clip receiver.

Those skilled in the art will realize that this invention is capable ofembodiments that are different from those shown and that details of theapparatus and methods can be changed in various manners withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the drawingsand descriptions are to be regarded as including such equivalentembodiments as do not depart from the spirit and scope of thisinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding and appreciation of this invention,and its many advantages, reference will be made to the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage container support and plateassembly having a prong-based pressure-fitted fastening mechanism, shownwith a detachable beverage member adapted to receive stemware;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly of FIG. 1, shown fully assembled;

FIG. 3A is a close up showing the prong-based pressure-fitted fasteningmechanism fully assembled as in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the detachable beverage member in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a beverage container support and plateassembly having a prong-based pressure-fitted fastening mechanism, shownwith a detachable beverage member with a flat beverage receivingsurface;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly of FIG. 5, shown fully assembled;

FIG. 7A is a close up showing the prong-based pressure-fitted fasteningmechanism fully assembled as in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the detachable beverage member in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an integratedbeverage container support and plate assembly having a clip-basedpressure-fitted coupling mechanism, shown with a detachable beveragemember adapted to receive stemware;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the beverage container support and plateassembly of FIG. 9, shown fully assembled;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the detachable beverage member in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the fully assemble beveragecontainer support and plate assembly of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of the detachable beverage member ofFIG. 9 mounted to a plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, some of the reference numerals are used todesignate the same or corresponding parts through several of theembodiments and figures shown and described. Corresponding parts aredenoted in different embodiments with the addition of lowercase letters.Variations of corresponding parts in form or function that are depictedin the figures are described. It will be understood that variations inthe embodiments can generally be interchanged without deviating from theinvention.

An integrated detachable beverage container support and plate assembly10 or assembly 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. The assembly 10comprises a plate member 12 and a beverage support member 14 having amating mechanism 16 allowing the plate member 12 and the beveragesupport member 14 to be removably mated so as to form a singleintegrated food and drink assembly allowing a variety of beveragecontainers to be conveniently supported by the assembly 10 and with auser (not shown) supporting the assembly 10 with one-handed ease. Whenthe plate member 12 and the beverage support member 14 are mated, anoutermost shape of the assembly 10 is a regular polygon, in the figuresshown as a squircle or alternatively a rounded square, however theoutermost shape could also easily be a circle, rounded rectangle, etc.and thus the outermost shape of the assembly 10 shown in the figures isnot meant to be limiting but is rather illustrative of one example ofhow the plate member 12 and the beverage member 14 as mated form aregular polygon. It should be noted that other regular polygons, such assquares, rectangles, triangles and trapezoids, with or without roundedcorners, are all equally suitable, as are irregular polygons. The choiceof a regular polygon as an outermost shape of the assembly 10 allows theuser greatest flexibility in choosing how to orient the assembly vis avis the user's body since a regular polygon shape does not limit theuser to orienting the assembly 10 in a particular manner and isgenerally balanced. In the case of a larger overall size of the assembly10 with a deeper food well 18, for instance, or if the beverage supportmember 14 is sized and shaped to accommodate a larger, heavier beveragecontainer, an irregular polygon shape for the outermost shape of theassembly 10 may be more suitable so as to encourage the user to orientthe assembly 10 in a manner that promotes stability when in use.

The plate member 12 has a food containing portion or a food well 18defined by a continuous side wall 20 having a lowermost edge joining aplate base 22 and having an uppermost edge attached to a rim 24 of theplate member 12 or plate rim 24, the plate rim 24 extending outwardlyaway from the uppermost edge of the side wall 20, terminating in anoutermost edge defining a plate lip 26. The food well 18 comprisesapproximately three quarters of a volume of the rounded square, with thebeverage support member 14 comprising a quarter of the rounded squarewhen mated with the plate member 12. In the figures, the beveragesupport member 14 is typically formed so as to be one of the roundedcorners so as to maximize a food holding capacity of the food well 18.

The beverage support member 14 is comprised of a beverage-supportingconcave annular depression 28. At an uppermost edge of the annulardepression 28, a rim of the beverage support member 14 or beverage rim30 projects outwardly from the annular depression 28 with a beverage lip32 defining an outermost perimeter of the beverage rim 30 and thebeverage support member 14. The annular depression 28 may be formed witha surface onto which a flat-bottomed beverage container may be placed(not shown), however for a stemmed glass, the annular depression 28 isfurther formed with an opening 34 in lieu of the beverage base, alongwith a slot 36 cut through the beverage lip 32, beverage rim 30, and theannular depression 28 to the opening 34. The slot 36 is sized and shapedto receive a stem of the stemmed glass (not shown), and may be shaped asa simple channel with straight parallel walls, or formed with one ormore curved walls as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, allowingthe stemmed glass to be more securely positioned in the opening 34 bypreventing it from sliding out easily if the assembly 10 isinadvertently tilted.

The mating mechanism 16 is shown in FIGS. 1-4 as a prong 38 and prongreceiving mechanism 40, with a pair of parallel, spaced apart prongs 38formed into the beverage support member 14. Each prong 38 is furtherformed with an outwardly facing protrusion 42 on an outermost face ofeach prong in the pair of prongs. A prong channel 44 is formed into theplate member 12 having a pair of prong receiving members 46 in spacedapart relationship, each formed with a receiving notch 48 sized andshaped to frictionally and slideably couple with the protrusions 42 ofthe prongs 38 when the prongs 38 are mated with the prong receivingmembers 46. FIG. 3 shows the pair of prongs 38 fitting inside the prongchannel 44, however it is also possible to configure the prongs 38 withthe protrusions 42 facing one another and sliding the prongs 38 alongeach outside face of the prong receiving members 46, such that theprotrusions 42 mate with the receiving notches 48 and the prong channel44 is sandwiched between the prongs 38 when mated. To release the matingmechanism 16, the one of the beverage support member 14 and the platemember 12 is pulled forceably away from the other member, allowing theprotrusions 42 to frictionally slide out of the receiving notches 48,releasing the prongs 38 from the prong receiving members 46 andultimately releasing the beverage support member 14 and plate member 12from the mating mechanism 16.

The plate member 12, is additionally formed with a pair of flanges 50below the plate rim 24, each flange 50 of the pair of flanges 50positioned on either side of the prong receiving walls 46. The flanges50 extend outwardly such that when the beverage support member 14 ismated to the plate member 12, the flanges 50 rest below and support thebeverage rim 30 of the mated beverage support member 14. When mated, theplate rim 24 and the beverage rim 30 are typically coplanar, resultingin a stackable, storage efficient profile. Offsetting the plate rim 24with the beverage rim 30 when the plate member 12 and beverage supportmember 14 are mated is another suitable positioning that has no effecton the functionality of the assembly 10. In certain circumstances,offsetting the plate rim 24 with the beverage rim 30 may serve as avisual break that further aids the user in placement of food and drink.Ideally, an underside of the annular depression 28 and of the plate base22 may be coplanar so as to allow the assembly 10 to lie flat upon atable surface, however, the undersides of the annular depression 28 andof the plate base 22 need not be coplanar, such as when the beveragesupport member 14 is sized and shaped to receive a stemmed glass.

The assembly 10 is suitably made of a variety of disposable or morepermanent lightweight but strong materials, including as melamine,plastic, metal and cardboard, and individual components within a singleassembly 10 can be comprised of a variety of materials. For instance,the assembly could comprise of cardboard plate and beverage supportmembers but have plastic mating mechanisms, or a melamine plate membercould be mated to a cardboard beverage support member. Assemblies 10made of stainless steel or tin, for instance are very attractive forcampers who are often plagued by a lack of clean and flat surfaces uponwhich to rest tableware, and the modularity of the assembly's plate andbeverage support members provides further functionality and convenience.

The assembly 10 shown in the figures can be reconfigured in many usefulways. For instance, the mating mechanism 16 described herein is apressure-fitted mechanism, relying on frictional forces of the matingparts to hold the plate member 12 and beverage support member 14together, and the respective mating parts on the beverage support member14 and the plate member 12 are in fact interchangeable, such that theprongs 38 on the beverage support member 14 could in fact be formed ontothe plate member 12, with the beverage support member 14 formed with theprong receiving channel 44, etc. Other pressure-fitted mating mechanismsmay be substituted for the ones shown in the figures, or repositioned orreoriented, as desired.

It should also be noted that the beverage support member 14, isdescribed herein as a support for a beverage container but in fact itcan also be used to support other things. For instance, the beveragesupport member 14 can be sized and shaped to serve as a secondary foodwell for liquids such as soups or dips, and foods with flavors that areoptimally separated from food in the food well 18, such as keeping sweetdesserts separate from savory food in the food well 18. With the opening34, the beverage support member 14 can still be used to support a bowlor other small container.

FIGS. 5 through 8 show a variation of the assembly 10 a. In thisembodiment, the plate member 12 a is identical to that of the previousembodiment but the beverage support member 14 a does not have a slot toreceive a stemmed beverage container. Rather, the beverage supportmember 14 a is comprised of a beverage-supporting concave annulardepression 28 a that at its lowermost edge adjoins a beverage base 52 a,the annular depression 28 a and the beverage base 52 a are sized andshaped to hold a base of a beverage container (not shown). The matingmechanism 16 a as shown in FIGS. 4-8 is the same as the previousembodiment as a prong 38 a and prong receiving mechanism 40 a.Alternatively, the beverage base 52 a could be used as a secondary foodreceiving surface that a user could use to add condiments to keep itseparate from food on the plate base 22 a.

The plate member 12 a, is additionally formed with a pair of flanges 50a below the plate rim 24 a, each flange 50 a of the pair of flanges 50 apositioned on either side of the prong receiving walls 46 a. The flanges50 a extend outwardly such that when the beverage support member 14 a ismated to the plate member 12 a, the flanges 50 a rest below and supportthe beverage rim 30 a of the mated beverage support member 14 a. Whenmated, the plate rim 24 a and the beverage rim 30 a are typicallycoplanar, resulting in a stackable, storage efficient profile.Offsetting the plate rim 24 a with the beverage rim 30 a when the platemember 12 a and beverage support member 14 a are mated is anothersuitable positioning that has no effect on the functionality of theassembly 10 a. In certain circumstances, offsetting the plate rim 24 awith the beverage rim 30 a may serve as a visual break that further aidsthe user in placement of food and drink. Ideally, an underside of thebeverage base 52 a and of the plate base 22 a may be coplanar so as toallow the assembly 10 a to lie flat upon a table surface, however, theundersides of the beverage base 52 a and of the plate base 22 a need notbe coplanar.

FIGS. 9 through 13, show another embodiment of assembly 10 b in whichmating mechanism 16 b is clip-based in lieu of the prong-based matingmechanism of the embodiments previously described. The plate member 12 bis formed with a clip receiving notch 54 b formed into the plate rim 24b and the plate lip 26 b, with a continuous clip receiving flange 56 bformed below a plane of the plate rim 24 b and having a stop 58 b onopposed ends of the clip receiving flange 56 b. The beverage supportmember 14 b is formed with a clip 60 b having an upper clip element 62 bsized and shaped to fit into the clip receiving notch 54 b, and anopposed lower clip element 64 b such that when the clip 60 b is mated toboth the clip receiving notch 54 b and the clip receiving flange 56 b,the upper clip element 62 b and the lower clip element 64 b applypressure to the clip receiving flange 56 b and the clip receiving notch54 b. In FIGS. 9 through 13, the lower clip element 64 b is configuredas a pair of elements below and on either side of the upper clip element62 b, however a single lower clip element 64 b (not shown) positionedbelow the upper clip element 62 b will also provide sufficient pressureso as to allow the clip 60 b to pressure fit onto the clip receivingflange 56 b and clip receiving notch 54 b.

The beverage support member 14 b is further comprised of at least onestop 66 b formed on and extending downwardly from an underside of thebeverage rim 30 b, as shown most clearly in FIG. 9, and typicallyconfigured as in FIGS. 10 and 11 as a pair of stops 66 b. The stop 66 bis positioned such that when the beverage support member 14 b is coupledto the plate member 12 b, the stop 66 b rests immediately adjacent anend 58 b of the clip receiving flange 56 b. The stop 66 b provides extrasupport and strength for the beverage rim 30 b to help the beveragesupport member 14 b support the beverage container (not shown). In FIG.13, the upper clip element 62 b is coplanar with the plate rim 24 b.

In use, the clip-based mating mechanism is engaged by pushing the clip60 b into the clip receiving notch 54 b and clip receiving flange 56 bto slideably force the upper clip element 62 b and lower clip element 64b around the clip receiving notch 54 b and clip receiving flange 56 b soas to secure the plate member 12 b to the beverage support member 14 b.To disengaged the mating mechanism 16 b, one of the plate member 12 band the beverage support member 14 b is held stationary and firmly in auser's first hand, and the other hand grasps the other member andapplies force to separate the clip 60 b from the plate member 12 b. Thebeverage support member 14 b with the clip-based mating mechanism 16 bis much more versatile than other embodiments as it doesn't specificallyneed a plate element 12 b to function. FIG. 14 shows a beverage supportmember 14 b clipped to the rim 70 b of a plate 68 b.

This embodiment of beverage support member 14 b is flexible enough to beused with other than the plate support member 12 a. The clip 60 b couldbe flexible enough to cover other flat surfaces and could mount thebeverage support member 14 b to, for example, the edge of a table orother surface with a thin profile (not shown).

In yet another modification of the present assembly (not shown), theplate member is further configured so as to be able to receive a secondbeverage support member comprising a rounded corner opposed the firstbeverage support member, so as to allow a single assembly to support abeverage container and a bowl, or two bowls, etc. along with the platemember and creating a sectionalized food well. Such a configuration isespecially appealing for meals comprising a dip and different foods tocoat with the dip, plus a beverage, again all conveniently supported bya single assembly and with a single hand.

This invention has been described with reference to several preferredembodiments. Many modifications and alterations will occur to othersupon reading and understanding the preceding specification. It isintended that the invention be construed as including all suchalterations and modifications in so far as they come within the scope ofthe appended claims or the equivalents of these claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combination beverage container support andplate assembly, comprising: a plate member having a food receivingsurface; a plate rim having an innermost edge and an outermost lip, saidoutermost lip defining a perimeter of said plate member; a beveragesupport member having a beverage rim with an outermost beverage lipdefining a perimeter of said beverage support member and an annulardepression formed with an opening, said beverage rim held in spacedapart relationship with said annular depression; a concave surfacesubstantially concentric to and extending from said annular depressionto said beverage rim, said concave surfaced sized and shaped to receiveat least one of a bowl of a stemmed beverage container and a base of anon-stemmed beverage container; and a mating mechanism having a firstmating element and a second mating element; wherein said first matingelement is formed into said plate member at its respective mating area,and said second mating element is formed into said beverage supportmember at its respective mating area; whereby mating said first andsecond mating elements removably joins said plate member to saidbeverage support member.
 2. The combination beverage container supportand plate assembly of claim 1 further comprising: a base adjoining alowermost edge of said annular depression; an opening formed into saidbase; a slot extending from said outermost lip to said opening formed insaid annular depression; wherein said slot is sized to receive a stem ofsaid stemmed beverage container; and wherein said slot is shaped suchthat said stem of said stemmed beverage container inserted into saidslot travels at least one of a straight path and a curved path to saidopening in said annular depression.
 3. The combination beveragecontainer support and plate assembly of claim 1, wherein said firstmating element is comprised of a pair of parallel, spaced apart walls,each said wall formed with a mating groove, the pair of said wallsextending away from said food well of said plate member; and whereinsaid second mating element is comprised of a pair of spaced apart prongsextending outwards from said concave surface of said beverage supportcontainer, each said prong having a protrusion sized and shaped tofrictionally and slideably mate with said mating groove of said firstmating element; whereby pushing said first and second mating elementstogether mates the pair of said prongs to the pair of said walls by saidprotrusions mating with said mating grooves; and whereby pulling saidfirst and second mating elements apart slideably disconnects saidprotrusions from said mating groves.
 4. The combination beveragecontainer support and plate assembly of claim 1, wherein said innermostedge of said plate member at said respective mating area and saidoutermost lip of said beverage support member at said respective matingarea are coplanar when said first and second mating elements are mated.5. The combination beverage container support and plate assembly ofclaim 2, wherein said second mating element is positioned opposite saidslot.
 6. The combination beverage container support and plate assemblyof claim 1, further comprising a flange formed at said respective matingarea of said plate member and a receiver formed into said respectivemating area of said beverage support member, whereby mating said plateassembly with said beverage support member mates said flange with saidreceiver.
 7. The combination beverage support container and plateassembly of claim 1, wherein said perimeter of said beverage containersupport and said plate assembly formed by mating said first matingelement with said second mating element approximates a rounded squareshape.
 8. The combination beverage support container and plate assemblyof claim 1, wherein said plate rim and said beverage rim are coplanar.9. The combination beverage support container and plate assembly ofclaim 1, wherein said first mating element is a clip receiver formed asa flange having a pair of opposed ends in said respective mating area ofsaid plate member; wherein said second mating element is a clipprotruding from said respective mating area of said beverage supportmember, said clip further comprised of an upper clip element and a lowerclip element; wherein said upper clip element and said lower clipelement are opposed so as to provide pressure to grasp said clipreceiver by frictional force, and wherein mating said clip to said clipreceiver frictionally sandwiches said clip receiver between said upperclip element and said lower clip element.
 10. The combination beveragesupport and plate assembly of claim 9, wherein said respective matingarea of said plate member is further formed with a notch sized andshaped to receive said upper clip element such that when said clip ismated with said clip receiver, immediately adjacent lips of saidbeverage support member and said plate member are coplanar.
 11. Thecombination beverage support and plate assembly of claim 9, wherein atleast one of said beverage rim and said beverage lip is positioned abovea plane of at least one of said plate rim and said plate lip when saidclip is mated with said clip receiver.
 12. The combination beveragesupport and plate assembly of claim 9, wherein said beverage supportmember is further comprised of a stop formed below said beverage rim,whereby mating said beverage support member to said plate memberpositions said stop immediately adjacent said opposed ends of said clipreceiver.
 13. The combination beverage support container and plateassembly of claim 1, wherein a perimeter of said beverage containersupport and said plate assembly formed by mating said first matingelement with said second mating element approximates a regular polygon.